Steeped in history with landscapes that go from brilliant beaches to windswept boglands, lakes, mountains to islands, pilgrimage sites to pirate queens, Mayo has it all. There’s something about Mayo... Oh, the Green and Red of Mayo I can see it still Its soft and craggy bogland Its tall majestic hills Where the ocean kisses Ireland And the waves caress its shore Oh the … [Read more...] about Mighty Mayo
County Mayo
The Pope’s Visit to Ireland
When I was growing up in the 1980s, a photo of Pope John Paul II hung above many Irish fireplaces. That pope held a special place in Irish Catholics’ hearts, as he was the first and only pope ever to visit the country. He visited in 1979. There wasn’t another papal visit until this summer when Pope Francis came for the World Meeting of Families. He arrived in Dublin on … [Read more...] about The Pope’s Visit to Ireland
Into the West & Far East
On a drizzly morning in early summer -- what the Irish refer to as a "soft day" -- I'm doing something that has become rather commonplace during my numerous travels to Ireland. I'm talking about local history with two men who live in County Mayo and work at the Delphi Mountain Lodge and Spa. We stand at the entrance to a business that was constructed with the entrepreneurial … [Read more...] about Into the West & Far East
The Blue Ribbon
When I was 13 years old, my mother took my siblings and me to Rockaway Beach in New York City for the day. After we romped in the ocean and were sufficiently sunburned, we ended up at a rather run-down Irish tavern that was hosting a singing contest. Since I can carry a tune, my mother made me enter. All the entrants, adults and kids alike, sang well-known Irish songs. I … [Read more...] about The Blue Ribbon